Dad Owes Ex $119K After Kidnapping Their Child

WASHINGTON (CN) – A man convicted of kidnapping his daughter and taking her to his home country of Iran must pay his ex-wife more than $119,000, a federal judge ruled. Kevin Homaune, a dual citizen of Iran and Canada, and Jodi Reed met over the Internet, and the couple got married after Reed became pregnant. In 2003, within three months of the birth of their daughter, the couple split. Reed, a U.S. citizen, settled in Virginia with the child, and Homaune visited every few weeks or months while working as a truck driver. Reed agreed to let Homaune take their daughter to Iran for six weeks in 2009 so the girl could meet his family, but two weeks turned into two years. Homaune unsuccessfully argued during his trial that Iranian officials barred him and his daughter from leaving the country. Authorities detained Homaune during a brief visit with Reed in Turkey, and he was later arrested in Germany, then returned to the United States and arraigned. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg denied Homaune’s motion to dismiss the charge of violating International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act, and Homaune pleaded guilty in exchange for a sentence of time served – amounting to just over five months from the time of his arrest to his extradition. Reed meanwhile claimed that she had to give up her $81,000-a-year job supervising radio sales teams to recover her daughter. She also shelled out thousands on attorneys in Virginia and Turkey, all while reportedly undergoing chemotherapy. On Friday, Boasberg gave Reed nearly all of the restitution for which she asked, including $6,698.63 for her divorce-and-custody attorney in Virginia, $93,378.58 for lost wages, $19,300 for her lawyer in Turkey and $130 for miscellaneous expenses, totaling $119,507.21 in restitution. Homaune must pay Reed no less than $500 a month, according to the ruling.